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Sunday, October 25, 2009

Second Review: Of Two Minds by Charles Hugh Smith.

I have been reading Of Two Minds (OTM)--http://www.oftwominds.com/blog.html-- for almost as long as I have been reading Calculated Risk. Mr. Smith has coined the term “Wessay” as in “Web-essay.”

Mr. Smith has a number of works of fiction that have been published, which I haven't read. But his writing style is fluid and easy to follow, so one day I may give one (or a few) of his books a shot.

His blog is more analysis-focused, with frequent, (about once a day) lengthy posts.

Topics vary greatly, but generally include topics such as housing, stock, sustainability, income disparity, peak oil, and global warming.

OTM often has contributions by readers. Mr. Smith's readers are a very bright bunch and will send their own analysis which Mr. Smith incorporates into his own writings. This provides lots of different perspectives on a topic.

My favorite part about OTM is Mr. Smith's pragmatic take on life: if you live close to work, why not ride your bike there? You save money and stay healthy, which saves you more money.

He was one of the many bloggers who saw the housing and financial collapse coming from a mile away. For example, in 2005 he wrote:
“The wild card no one planned on is the U.S. housing bubble and the consequences of its collapse. That bubble is stiil inflating, ensuring the "pop" will be more devastating than anyone expects; housing starts are still rising, building a classic over-supply where there's far more houses on the market than buyers. As builders drop prices in a desperate bid to dump inventory, they will lower prices not just of new houses but existing housing as well. Not a pretty dynamic, but it's the one which always plays out in housing booms and busts. “

A Rickety Global House of Cards (October 20, 2005) (http://www.oftwominds.com/blogs/house-of-cards.html)

This was not some wild guess either. This was based on detailed and reasoned analysis. Indeed, Mr. Smith was a practitioner of the Holocognical arts while I was still a law student.

Other information about OTM:
The colors are fine, the layout is ok. There are LOTS of words. This is great if you enjoy reading (like I do), it's even better since the content is good. But the blog can be hard to navigate. Overall, I highly recommend giving OTM a read. If you enjoy my blog, you will enjoy that one as well.

Critically yours,
Aaron

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